A Dragon's Apple
by NotRamjet97
Summary: Apple Bloom and Spike come to a shocking realization: she's pregnant with his child. Now the couple must cope with the ups and downs of being parents, as well as dealing with the prejudice of society over having a hybrid foal. (Sequel to A Dragon's Hearts and Hooves day.)
1. Chapter 1

On a sunday afternoon, at the Golden Oaks Memorial Library in Ponyville, Spike sat on his couch, reading a book. He was reaching a very intense scene where the rebels were fleeing the evil-

"Spike!" Apple Bloom called out from their room.

Spike quickly put the book down and rushed towards her their room. "Yes?" he asked with a worried look on his face."

Apple Bloom was looking in front of the mirror. She turned to look at Spike after hearing him rush in, "Sorry. I was just gonna let ya know I'll be goin to mah book club in a few minutes and I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Oh. Alright," Spike breathed a sigh of relief. "For a moment, I thought something was wrong."

"Oh, heh, sorry." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck and blushed.

"It's fine," Spike said, hope you enjoy your book club. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright." Spike smiled, "Have fun at your book club. What book are you reading?"

"Uhhh... _Love and Tolerate_."

"Oh...okay. Do you want me to get that for you?"

"Uh...no thanks. I'll get it on the way out."

"Okay… I'm probably gonna take a nap so..."

"Ah'll wake ya up when Ah get back. Do you know-" Apple Bloom suddenly froze.

"'Bloom?"

Apple Bloom shook it off, "Huh?"

"You kinda froze up, are you sick? Should I call a doct-"

"No!" Apple Bloom shouted.

Spike gave her a funny look. "Uh...okay..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell." Apple Bloom exhaled hard, "I guess I'm just a little stressed."

"Maybe you should just stay here and rest."

"No, it's alright, I need to go."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's just a book club. It's not worth risking your health."

"Spike," Apple Bloom rubbed her head, "Please stop askin' so many questions, there's nothin' to worry about."

"Then why did you freeze up like that?"

"I'm just a little under the weather, no big deal, Spike."

"But I'm worried about you. Please just cancel it and stay here."

"Spike, I can't cancel it. Everyone will already be there by now."

"'Bloom-"

"Please... Just let me go."

Spike sighed, and nodded his head.

Apple Bloom gave Spike one last look before walking out their bedroom door.

Spike was about to go after her, but suddenly, Apple Bloom returned. "Spike? Do you want to come with me?"

Spike stopped suddenly. He noticed how… nervous she looked, "Yeah?"

"Will you come with me?"

Spike rubbed his head; this was quite the mood swing. "Of course, but why?"

Apple Bloom kicked at the floor with her hoof, "There's something ya need to know..."

Spike bent down and put a hand on her shoulder, "What?"

"Ah'll wait till we get there. Just… promise you won't hate me?"

The dragon brushed some stray strands of mane away from her face and kissed her on the forehead. "I could never do that," he replied warmly.

Apple Bloom partially smiled, "I hope you're right."

Spike kissed her cheek again. "We better get going."

Apple Bloom nodded.

Following an hour-long train ride to Canterlot, Spike and Apple Bloom reached their friend Comet Tail's old observatory. "What exactly are we doing here?" Spike asked Apple Bloom. He'd already begun to suspect that this _wasn't _just for the book club.

"Just be patient," Apple Bloom replied.

She walked up to the door of the observatory and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened and revealed-

"Twilight?" Spike looked at his former roommate in shock.

"Spike?" Twilight was just as surprised "as he was. "What are you doing here?" She looked over at Apple Bloom.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I tried to, but I just couldn't keep it in anymore. He deserves to know."

"Know what? What's going on?" Spike asked, starting to get impatient. He felt _dumb _being the only one not in the know.

Twilight looked at Spike, "I'll try to explain, but you both better come inside."

Twilight led Spike and Apple Bloom downstairs and into a cozy looking room. Complete with carpeting, furniture, and even a small TV set. "Please, sit down," Twilight instructed as she sat on the leather couch.

The couple sat down on the couch, and immediately Spike asked "What is going on here?"

Twilight looked at Apple Bloom, "I'll let you tell him, if you want to."

Apple Bloom nodded and took a deep breath, "Spike... It looks like I'm... Well... Uh..." She rubbed her head, "I can't do it. I don't know I don't-

Spike took Apple Bloom's hoof and lovingly stroked it, "It's okay. You can tell me anything."

She looked into his caring green eyes. How could she tell him? It could break his heart, she didn't even know if-

"Apple Bloom," Twilight's voice said called, softly, "I can tell him if you c-"

"No... I need to do this," Applebloom pressed her forehead to Spike's, relishing the feel of his touch, the warmth of his breath on her cheek, and finally managed to tell him, "I'm pregnant."

Spike's jaw dropped so far that it could have hit the floor. "You're WHAT?! With whose kid?"

Applebloom backed away and frowned at Spike. "Yours! Who else could it be ya goofball?"

"How's that possible? I'm a dragon for Celestia's sake! Dragons don't get ponies pregnant!"

"Guys?" Twilight tried to interrupt.

"Well the one in the room got me pregnant. Why on earth would you think I would cheat on you?!"

"Guys?"

"You do all this sneaking around and stuff, beating around the bush to tell me you're pregnant, what am I supposed to-"

"It is possible for a dragon to get a pony pregnant!" Twilight shouted.

Spike's jaws hung open at the news. "Are you serious?"

"Well, apparently."

"Told ya so."

"But… How?"

Twilight gave Spike a look, "I'm not going to-"

"Duh! But how's it even possible?!"

Twilight cleared her throat, "Both ponies and dragons reproduce the same way. All animals do. Ponies are unique in the fact that, under rare circumstances, can crossbreed with another creature, like a dragon. But the mother HAS to be a pony, or else it can't happen. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the offspring because they're born sterile due to the crossbreed."

"So, basically, they… won't be able to have kids?"

"Not naturally, no. In fact, there's only been one case in recorded equestrian history of a successful crossbreed. About seventy years ago a Pegasus mare was assaulted by a dragon, and became pregnant."

"So what happened?" Spike asked.

"After about five months, the foal had developed its dragon side, and it's young mind decided it was time to hatch out of it's 'egg.' However the 'egg' in this case was actually the mother's womb and..." Twilight took a breath, "The mother died, and the pony side hadn't fully developed...so it died, as well."

"So...'Bloom could DIE from it-" Spike shivered at the thought.

"Not necessarily." Twilight grinned, "Have you ever wondered why Mrs. Cake wasn't mauled by Pumpkin's horn?"

"Not really… does seem kinda weird, though."

"Well, there're some pills that can help with it. Unicorn mares are naturally born with a stronger womb, to accommodate the poking horns. About sixty years ago, they developed these pills to strengthen earth pony and Pegasi wombs to accommodate horns. In theory, these should keep Apple Bloom and the foal safe."

"...I guess," Spike agreed after a moment. He looked at Apple Bloom, who had stayed quiet almost the entire time. "Are you sure you want to do this? It seems pretty rough."

"If we don't then what will happen to the baby?" Apple Bloom responded, determination in her voice. "Ah need to do this for me, for the baby, and for you."

"But it isn't worth it if you AND the foal die."

"Spike," Twilight said softly, coming over to the couple, "Except for taking some medicine, this will be a perfectly natural pregnancy."

"I know, but…" He stared at Apple Bloom incredulously. "I don't think I'm _ready _to be a father yet."

"I know this will be hard for both of you to adapt to," Twilight told the two, understanding in her tone. "You guys still have more than ten months to get used to the idea. But, if you will stick together, everything will be okay."

"Of _course _I'm sticking with Apple Bloom," Spike said firmly, putting his arm around the yellow mare's back.

"Thanks, Spike," Apple Bloom responded warmly before kissing his cheek.

"So… ten months, huh?"

"That's my best guess. I want to talk to Nurse Redheart in Ponyville to see if she'd see you... I'm a little unsure how anyone would take to the news of a half dragon/half pony foal."

"You're sayin' ponies might not like our foal?" Applebloom asked, her voice cracking.

"It's sad... I know parts of your family made a big deal about-"

"Don't call 'em that," Apple Bloom snapped, "They might be related to me by blood, but they don't care about me. Ah know who my family is."

"Still, you'll want to be careful. There are some ponies who are a little… extreme with their opinions."

"Like that Unicorn what's-it group?" Spike asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. The USG, or Unicorn Supremacy Group, had given her family a hard time during her lifetime. "Perhaps. Just be careful with who your child's around."

"We will. Thanks for helping Apple Bloom with all this... And I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide this from me." Spike apologized.

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't want to disappoint you again."

Spike frowned, "Again?"

"Two false positives and that miscarriage."

"Oh... Yeah… back when we were trying so hard..." Spike sighed, "Guess after that, I told myself we could never have kids."

"Yeah... That's why..."

"Yeah..." Spike shook his head, "But let's not think about that. We should be happy that we're _finally _having a foal."

"Sure should be. You know that, if you ever have problems, you can come to me or Comet, right?"

Both of the newfound parents nodded. "Right," they said in unison.

Twilight giggled, "I'm very happy for you two. And I can't wait to see your foal."

"Neither can we," Spike smiled, staring into Apple Bloom's eyes. Tears of joy flecked both the dragon and the pony's eyes. "Neither can we…"


	2. Chapter 2

Apple Bloom's amber eyes fluttered open, albeit very reluctantly. A feeling of nausea overtook her, but at the same time she was somewhat used to the feeling; morning sickness was present more often than not since she started carrying Spike's child. But luckily, she'd already been taking some herbs from Zecora, her old mentor, to alleviate the symptoms somewhat.

She looked over at the purple dragon on the bed. He was all spread out, his shiny green stomach scales rising and falling with each of his drawn-out, sleepy breaths. His fanged jaws were wide open, and a dribble of saliva oozed out of his mouth. Minus the last detail though, despite his humongous size, Spike was pretty adorable when he slept.

Apple Bloom clutched her stomach as a vile sensation roared up inside. Her throat suddenly felt somewhat clogged, as if she was going to vomit at any second. Alright, time to find that tea she gave me…

The yellow mare didn't even stretch out before she hurried downstairs and immediately got started on her tea, a combination between balm leaves, strawberries, and another rare Everfree herb, the relief root. Plus an accent of Quick Kale, which would increase the speed at which the remedy worked, in the form of a slightly bitter seasoning. Putting a pot of water on the stove, Apple Bloom grabbed an pale blue pail and sat at the kitchen table clutching her aching stomach, waiting for the liquid to get boiling.

Knowing that within the next half-hour her symptoms would be tolerable again, Apple Bloom could focus on other matters, like the matter of Spike's reaction to their baby. He'd been just as supportive as ever; she'd practically known it all along. It wasn't like her mate to abandon anyone in their time of need. He even seemed excited, and eager to be a father, despite at first feeling somewhat uneasy.

Apple Bloom was an optimist by nature, and unsurprisingly was excited to see the baby. How big would it be? Which attributes would be draconic, and which would be equine? What colors would it end up having? Would it have magic? Heck, would it be a boy or a girl?

The yellow mare was totally tough enough to carry the baby, thanks to her Apple family heritage and the aid of Twilight and Zecora's magic. The neighsayers would be few and far-between, and they would have a tough family who didn't care about what others thought.

The sound of the burbling water made her feel more nauseated than when it was absent, so she waited just a moment before she added the ingredients to the boiling water (in the proper order of course) and stirred it with her wooden potion spoon.

After only a few moments, she exhaled hard and was beginning to feel queasy again. 'Already?' Apple Bloom thought, annoyed. She started to stir the tea again.

"Good morning, Bloom."

Apple Bloom turned around to see Spike standing in front of the stairway.

"Good mornin' Spikey wikey," Apple Bloom greeted with what she wanted to seem like a teasing grin but turned out a lot more like a pained smile.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Morning sickness," Apple Bloom responded with a soft groan. "Ah still haven't finished preparing the remedy for mah symptoms.

"Oh… Need any help?"

"Ah think ah can get it, thanks though," she smiled.

"I don't mind, 'Bloom, if you're not up to it-"

"Ah can do it." She told him, flatly.

And, even through her optimism…

...She could see Spike being overprotective coming from a mile away. To show the purple dragon she could do things, she trotted up to the stove and gave the unfinished potion an extra stir before hobbling back. "See, told ya ah could do it."

"Okay…" Spike still sounded unconvinced, but pulled out the seat across from Apple Bloom and sat down anyway. "Did you sleep well?"

Apple Bloom nodded, fondly remembering last night, "Did you?"

"Actually, not really. I couldn't stop thinking about our...foal…"

"Anxious about it?"

"Yeah… I mean… We're having a foal… We'll have to deal with it for the rest of our lives."

Apple Bloom cringed as her stomach gave another turn, but then replied, "Don't look at it that way. It'll be a joy for the rest of our lives."

"No, I know that, I'm really looking forward to it. This is, like, the second best thing to ever happen to me… I guess I'm just worried I'll mess up."

"You won't. Even if you did, then me an' everyone else would be there to pick up the slack."

"I know… but…"

"A little mistake now and again won't even hurt. It just shows that you're a pony… even though you're a dragon..."

Spike chuckled. He'd always been "her stallion", despite him being a dragon. Though, in fairness, he was raised by ponies, and got along with them a lot better than he did with the greedier, more temperamental other members of the dragon species. "I guess so."

"I know so." Apple Bloom smiled.

Spike smiled, and gently held her hoof. "So, do you think you'll be up for the day?"

"Spike, I've been pregnant for almost two months before I told you. I think I'm fine." Though her tone was affectionate, there was a slight edge to her words.

"But doesn't it get harder?"

"So what if it does? I'm tough, I can handle it. And besides… the tea gives me relief from the symptoms most mares deal with all the way through. Speakin' of..." Apple Bloom got up and sniffed the pot. "Mah tea is ready."

"Okay, if you say so, Bloom…"

She took the tea off the stove. Turning the appliance off, she set the pot on the counter and pulled out the closest thing to a teacup that was clean, a cider mug, and emptied some of its contents into the wooden cup.

She took a swig out of it before seating herself across from Spike once again. "Today might be kinda busy, if you-"

"I can do it, Spike. Trust me."

"I'm just worried about you…"

"Ah know, but ya don't have to be."

"Yes I do; I'm your husband…"

"Alright, fine. You don't have to baby me. Just don't be too worried."

"...I'll try… But it's hard…"

Apple Bloom sighed, "So… What makes you think that today will be any busier than any other day?"

"It's Saturday, for one. But it's also the end of the summer. Teachers will be coming in to sharpen their game, and students will be rushing to finish their projects last minute."

"Oh yeah…"

"Yeah, so if you need to sit it out…"

Apple Bloom shot him a glare. "Ah told you, I can take care of myself. Are you gonna do this for the entire pregnancy?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Spike exclaimed, throwing his claws out defensively. "I said I'd work on it!"

"Alright…" Apple Bloom stared at Spike with her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she emptied her mug into her mouth.

"I'm… gonna take a shower… I'll see you later."

"Okay. See ya in a bit."

Spike was in the shower. But instead of whistling the musical number of the week, he was silent as he scrubbed his arms. He was frowning, stress streaking his face in the form of wrinkles that weren't usually there.

He tried not to worry, but failed miserably. His beloved was going through those icky pregnancy things he'd been embarrassed to even learn about in his youth. Things that made his stomach churn to just think about happening to anypony. And now they were happening to the mare he loved.

There was no way she could be okay with this, she needed him now more than ever! And he needed to help her. Whether she thought she needed it or not. Because that was a true sign that he was always going to be there for her. "Be with her in sickness and in health", that's what he'd promise to do, and by golly, he was gonna do it!

Apple Bloom was standing precariously on a ladder, trying to repaint the educational hoofbook shelf. It'd been a project that had needed doing for ages. Spike kept on finding more important things to do than doing the small, visited-by-few shelf in the back of the library. Perhaps other ponies would come by if they saw it looking nicer. Or perhaps not, because there wasn't much use for education handbooks for the common pony, just for teachers and teaching students. But it'd still look nicer.

About halfway through, Apple Bloom heard the grandfather clock chime 9:00. "Shoot! It's opening time already?" She climbed down the ladder and set her paintbrush down on the can.

Her stomach was already starting to calm down, the tea really had helped. Though doing a little work might've also helped.

She trotted over to the front door and flipped the "closed" sign to "open". She smiled and trotted back to the education workbooks. But on the way, she found herself going by the "R" books. She walked down the hall, in hopes she might find a particular book.

She remembered a young mare that had come in a number of months ago, and she checked out a book on parenting, and Apple Bloom figured that she should see if they still had it. She'd gone on and on about how helpful The Rattles and Diapers Guide to Parenting had been, and thought she should check it out, herself.

She continued to study the shelves, studying the alphabetically arranged books. She knew that Spike insisted upon putting books on the shelves according to the second word, where "the" was involved, so she jumped right to the "R" section, which was denoted by an "R" carved in calligraphy carved on a wooden slate attached to the shelf.

Rally-Up Rodeo, no… Raring to Go Racing, no… Realtime Wrestling?!

Apple Bloom pulled the wrestling book off of the shelf, and was shocked to find somepony had already checked it out. She glanced all around the shelf, hoping against hope that there'd been a mistake in the shelving but… nope.

The yellow mare sighed and put the book back where it'd been. "Well, shoot."

She sat down on the floor and propped her back against the book case. "We've gotta organize these books by subject and not title… that way ah could at least read just one parenting book…"

She sighed, not sure what to do, now. She was soon interrupted by the bell over the door jingled, "Hello? Mrs. Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom turned around, a slightly concerned look on her face while her brain worked… but then she remembered who that mare was and smiled. "Howdy Lyra."

"Hey, 'Bloom. Wow… You don't look too good... And...are you bleeding?"

Apple Bloom looked at her flatly, "Thanks, I- What?" She looked down at herself and noticed all the red spots on her, then laughed, "Oh, that's just some paint. I was painting a section of the library."

"Oh, okay." The mint unicorn replied, stepping in and allowing the door to slam.

"Yeah...and I'm feeling a little sick today." Apple Bloom waved her hoof dismissively.

"Oh… Hope you get better soon."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah. What do ya need?"

Lyra suddenly grinned widely, as if totally forgetting Apple Bloom was 'sick.' "I wanted to know whether that book on human anatomy got in yet. Did it?"

"Uh… Not yet, should come in tomorrow."

Lyra nodded, though she looked slightly disappointed. "Oh… okay."

"Sorry. Ah know you've been waiting for a long time."

"It's fine. Is anyone else interested in it, though? Will I be the first one to read it?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Of course you will be. I doubt most ponies even know about humans like you and I do."

Lyra made a short gasping sound and threw her hand out. "I know, right?"

Apple Bloom giggled. "Not like we do."

"Yeah. Even my friends think I'm nuts for it. THEY believe in the sea ponies, but I don't think any less of them for it! And they even SAVED a human once!"

"Yup. And… I happen to know that Princess Twilight believes you."

Lyra's ears shot up. "Really?!"

"Yeah. She says she even met some."

"REALLY?!"

"Uh...yeah. She says they were like ponies, too. Ponies with hands."

"Really? They had horns and wings, too?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "No, but they were like they are pictured in anthropology books, as far as ah understand. Except their skin could be any color."

"That's weird… I read humans were only black, white, and kinda in between."

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Maybe they're mutants. Teenage mutants."

Lyra chuckled, "Still, I'll have to talk to her about this!"

"Ah'll see if I can arrange that for ya."

"Thanks," Lyra smiled widely.

"Sure, we'll see if I can actually get her to agree with it."

"Okay. Well, I better get going, the roomie will be wonderin' about me."

"Alright. See ya, Lyra."

With that, Lyra left.

Apple Bloom sighed, 'Back to book hunting.'

She ran her hoof along the spines in search for a book once again.

Before she looked very much, she heard Spike come from downstairs. "Spike!" She called out.

"Yeah?" He called back.

"Could you help me find some parenting books?"

"Uh… sure."

"Thank you."

Only after a few moments, Spike came, holding a large pile of books. "So...uh... Are you-"

Apple Bloom turned around and Spike froze. "Am I what?"

"Okay… d-don't panic, uh, I gotta call the doctor."

"What? What's wrong?"

"You're covered in blood! Doesn't it hurt?"

Apple Bloom frowned, "I'm not bleeding, I guess I got some paint on me."

Spike dropped the several red boxes of bandaids he had retrieved, "It's just paint?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Apple Bloom sighed exasperatedly. "Of course I'm sure."

"Really? It'd be no trouble to take you to the doctor." Spike gasped, "What if they're doing what Twilight said? Like about that one mare who died from the dragon-foal clawing her stomach-"

"Spike. Our baby hasn't developed claws yet."

"What do you know about baby dragon fetuses?" Spike exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "It might have!"

"No it hasn't!"

"How do you-"

"Cuz Twilight told me that they don't develop that quickly. At this stage, it is still developing its limbs. Heck, ah don't even think it has muscles yet."

"How do-"

"Cuz have been researchin', Spike! And so help me if you ask 'how do you know' one more time I'll buck ya to next week. Do ya want that?!"

"No, but-"

"Spike, shut your mouth. Ah'm okay."

"Fine! Excuse me for caring about my family." He stormed off and yanked open the entryway door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to, um… go someplace that's not here!"

With that, the purple dragon slammed the door.

Apple Bloom stomped her hoof against the floor, _'Why did ah marry that doggone lizard?'_


End file.
